Pressure Cooker Rajma

This iconic North Indian bean stew is the ultimate comfort food. Like a classic chili, the beans are coated with a rich, heavily spiced, tomato-y sauce. And, it is practically made for the electric pressure cooker. As Priya Krishna writes in The New Yorker: "My aunt Sangeeta was sold on the Instant Pot after tasting rajma made in the gadget at a friend's house." This recipe was inspired by a recipe from My Heart Beets, known for its adaptation of traditional Indian recipes for the Instant Pot. If you can find Kashmiri chili powder, use it, we love the vibrant red color and gentle heat.

What Is Rajma?

Rajma is a beloved North Indian dish of kidney beans (rajma in Hindi) cooked in a thick, spiced tomato-based gravy. It's comfort food in the truest sense, the kind of dish that feels like home, that's served at family gatherings, that people crave when they want something warming and satisfying.

Traditionally, rajma simmers for hours on the stovetop, developing deep flavors as the beans slowly cook in the spiced sauce. But the electric pressure cooker has revolutionized rajma-making, cutting the time dramatically while still producing authentic, delicious results. As Priya Krishna notes, once people taste pressure cooker rajma, they're sold.

This version uses Sangre de Toro beans instead of traditional kidney beans, creating something that honors the original while offering its own distinctive character.

The Star: Sangre de Toro Beans

Let's talk about Sangre de Toro beans, "bull's blood" beans named for their deep burgundy color. These stunning beans are large, meaty, and incredibly flavorful. They have a robust texture that holds up beautifully to pressure cooking and long simmering in spiced sauce.

What makes Sangre de Toro beans perfect for rajma is their size and substance. They're hearty enough to be the centerpiece of the dish, substantial in a way that makes each spoonful satisfying. Their deep color also makes the finished dish visually striking, dark burgundy beans in rich red-brown sauce.

When pressure-cooked with aromatics and spices, these beans become incredibly tender while maintaining their shape. Each bean absorbs the complex flavors, cumin, coriander, garam masala, ginger, garlic, while contributing its own earthy, slightly sweet taste.

The Spice Blend

The spice blend is what gives rajma its distinctive flavor. This version uses:

• Ground coriander: Earthy, slightly citrusy
• Garam masala: Warm spice blend (typically cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander)
• Kashmiri chili powder: Vibrant red color, gentle heat (or substitute paprika with a pinch of cayenne)
• Black pepper: Sharp heat and bite
• Turmeric: Golden color, earthy flavor

Together, these spices create layers of warmth and complexity without being overwhelming. The Kashmiri chili powder is particularly prized for its brilliant red color and mild heat, it adds vibrant color to the dish without making it too spicy.

The Aromatics

The base of the dish is a pureed onion-pepper mixture that gets sautéed until golden. This creates a sweet, deeply flavored foundation. Cumin seeds go in first, blooming in hot oil to release their essential oils and create that distinctive cumin aroma.

Fresh ginger and garlic get added near the end of sautéing, these aromatics are essential to Indian cooking and add pungent, warming flavors that complement the spices. A bay leaf contributes subtle herbal notes.

The Instant Pot Method

The beauty of making rajma in the Instant Pot is how straightforward it becomes. You use the sauté function to build flavors, blooming cumin, cooking the onion mixture until golden, adding aromatics and spices, simmering tomatoes. Then you add dried beans and water, seal the lid, and let the pressure cooker do its magic.

Forty-five minutes of pressure cooking (with natural pressure release) transforms dried beans into tender, flavorful rajma. No soaking required, no hours of stovetop simmering, just set it and let it cook.

The natural pressure release is important, it allows the beans to finish cooking gently without breaking apart from sudden pressure changes.

The Tomato Base

Canned crushed tomatoes or strained tomato purée (passata) create the sauce base. They get cooked with the aromatics and spices for 5 minutes before the beans go in, which concentrates their flavor and helps them integrate with the spices.

The tomatoes provide acidity that balances the rich beans and warm spices, plus they create that characteristic reddish-brown gravy that coats the beans and makes rajma so saucy and delicious.

Alternative Method with Cooked Beans

The recipe includes a note about using pre-cooked beans, which is brilliant for meal planning. If you've already cooked beans according to our guide, you can make rajma in about 30 minutes total. Just follow the sauté instructions, add cooked beans with enough bean broth to barely cover them, and simmer for 20 minutes or longer to let the flavors meld.

This makes rajma even more accessible, perfect for using up leftover beans or when you want rajma but don't have an hour.

Serving

Rajma is traditionally served over basmati rice, the classic combination known as rajma chawal. The fluffy, aromatic rice is the perfect vehicle for the rich, saucy beans. Warm naan or roti on the side for scooping and soaking up sauce.

Traditional accompaniments include:

• Plain yogurt or raita for cooling creaminess
• Chopped fresh cilantro for brightness and color
• Lemon wedges for acidity to squeeze over each serving

The recipe suggests pairing with Tejal Rao's Gajjara Kosambari (Carrot Salad) and Priya Krishna's Roasted Aloo Gobi for a complete Indian feast.

The Comfort Factor

What makes rajma so beloved is how it combines heartiness with warmth. The beans are substantial and filling. The spices are warming without being hot. The tomato sauce ties everything together with familiar, comforting flavors.

It's the kind of dish you want to eat curled up on the couch, the kind that makes you feel cared for and satisfied. And with the Instant Pot making it so accessible, there's no reason not to have rajma regularly in your rotation.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

Rajma is one of those dishes that's even better the next day. The flavors deepen and meld as it sits. Store in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze in portions for quick future meals.

Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if it's gotten too thick. Serve with fresh rice, and it's like having that comforting meal all over again.

A Gateway to Indian Cooking

For people new to Indian cooking, rajma is an excellent starting point. The spice blend is complex but not difficult, the technique is straightforward (especially with the Instant Pot), and the result is immediately satisfying and delicious.

And with Sangre de Toro beans adding their own meaty texture and gorgeous color, this version feels both authentic and distinctive, honoring tradition while creating something uniquely delicious.

Pressure Cooker Rajma

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Category

Main Course

Cuisine

Indian

This iconic North Indian bean stew is the ultimate comfort food. Like a classic chili, the beans are coated with a rich, heavily spiced, tomato-y sauce. And, it is practically made for the electric pressure cooker. If you can find Kashmiri chili powder, use it, we love the vibrant red color and gentle heat.

Featured bean: Sangre de Toro 

Other beans to try: Ayocote Morado, Bayo

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried Sangre de Toro beans

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, or 1 teaspoon paprika and a pinch of cayenne

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• ½ tsp turmeric

• 1 white or yellow onion, roughly chopped

• ½ jalapeño or serrano pepper

• 3 tbsp neutral oil or ghee

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 2 tsp minced ginger

• 1¾ tsp coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or strained tomato purée (passata)

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Directions

1. Sauté the ingredients: Add onion and pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth; set aside. In a small bowl, combine spices and set aside. Heat oil or ghee in pot insert using the sauté function. Add cumin seeds and sauté 1 minute, then add the blended onion-pepper mixture and cook until golden, about 8 minutes. Add bay leaf, garlic, ginger, salt, and spice mixture, stirring to combine. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Pressure cook: Add beans and enough water to cover by 1½ inches. Secure the lid, and cook for 45 minutes on high pressure. Allow the pressure to naturally release. Let cool slightly before serving.

Recipe Note

Serves: 4-6

Time: 1 hour

Cookware: food processor, electric pressure cooker

You can also start with cooked beans in their broth. Follow "Sauté the ingredients" instructions, and then simply add cooked beans and enough bean broth to barely cover beans. Simmer for 20 minutes or longer to let the flavors meld, adding more broth as necessary for a thick stew.